“You can’t make stable income teaching (enter any music instrument name).”

“You should study something else than music.”

Have you heard these questions – or insult – before?

I have, many times, directed towards me or towards my teaching staff and music friends.

At one point I thought that’s not working for me either. So I thought of doing something else or doing it differently. But I always came back to it.

I don’t give up easily. When I want something, I make it happen.

So I started playing piano, I studied abroad in piano performance, I worked as a pianist, I taught piano, I started my piano studio, and then piano school. I wrote books about piano teaching and playing. I consulted piano performers and piano teachers and music teaching studio owners online. I ran an online music teacher training platform, etc., etc. The list was endless.

And I made money teaching music and piano while enjoying my work. I love teaching, I have immense passion in helping people, I do.

When I get exciting and joyful feedback from piano students/parents/piano teachers about how much they’ve enjoyed my lessons/courses and how I’ve changed their lives for the better, I become so touched sometimes I would even cry with joy.

But hey, this is not about me, this is about YOU.

Being successful in music teaching requires hard work, in some ways more than having a regular job. Especially when you are teaching freelance or on your own. You don’t have the benefits that most people do: you don’t have the paid holidays, the health benefits, the regular time off (because you perform/teach piano on weekends/holidays). People think it’s so great to have your own work! Yes but they don’t see how hard it is for you to maintain your own students, plan your own work schedule, annual student concerts, piano exams, competitions, lessons, fees, parents, the list goes on and on. Wait, did I say no paid holidays so every time you take a vacation you cringe on how much money you didn’t earn on your trip to Japan/Thailand/Italy? And you can never take the same days off to hang out with your family and friends who have a regular job schedule? Heck, you sometimes even forget it’s public holiday because you are working on that day! And if the weather’s bad and everyone gets to stay in and cheer for the extra time off, you are upset because you don’t get to work and get paid?

Ok, that may have gone a bit too far and too much details – I personally had thought about all of the above and that’s why I can write them out easily in one minute.

But still, I love teaching, whether I am teaching piano students or piano teachers or other music instrument teachers. I simply love sharing knowledge and helping others, from teaching piano students how to play better, to teaching piano teachers how to teach better, then to teaching other music instrument teachers on how to build their music teaching career. It is important for the piano students and piano teachers and other music instrument teachers know how they too can be successful in their piano playing and piano/violin/flute/cello/erhu/singing/guitar teaching.

When I teach a piano student, I influence one person (and perhaps a little on the family too). But when I teach a piano teacher or double bass teacher, I influence someone who can influence many students of their own. I really like the idea of that.

So if you are out there still thinking about my training program “How to Build a Successful Music Teaching Studio”, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me today. I am giving away a very special offer with some freebies on my online training program. Contact me now and get the gifts already!

Sign up in April and Start in May!
四月註冊，五月開始！
General course content: this is a course specifically designed for piano teachers, therefore besides learning how to run your own studio, you would also learn about the basics of piano teaching, from choosing piano beginner books to writing lesson plans, from understanding basic piano technique to doing music analysis etc.
一般課程內容：這是專門為鋼琴教師設計的課程，因此除了學習如何經營自己的工作室之外，您還將了解鋼琴教學的基本知識，從選擇鋼琴初學者書籍到寫作課程計劃，從了解基本鋼琴技術做音樂分析等。

A lot of readers asked me this question. I get it, it’s hard to promote yourself. It’s even embarrassing, because we are musicians/pianists, we are artists, we are not for sale. But hey, don’t think about it in that way. If you want people to know you, you have to get out there and literally tell people that YOU EXIST. So here are a few pointers as to how to promote yourself in order to build a successful and thriving music studio of yours:

1. Start a blog

Share with your existing and potential students what you’ve got: what you know about music, piano and teaching. Just write something short and simple at the beginning few lines every day, about what you’ve learnt and taught in lessons or some tips on practice and playing. Eventually you can write more and add more substance in your posts.

2. Record videos

Record videos of your students playing in lessons or even your own playing. Teach people some basic music theories, like how to read or identify chords.

3. Write something about yourself

Write about your educational qualifications, your experience in performance and teaching. Tell people about your teaching philosophy and style: it’s important for your potential students (and especially their parents) to know about your personally.

4. Share your experience

People want to connect with those whom they feel familiar with. If you share your experience with your readers, they already feel like they know you before they’ve even met you-and I know that from my personal experience. Be authentic and genuine.

Are you looking for a place to connect and grow as a piano teacher? Do you want to focus on your teaching while someone manages the fee and recruit students for you? Do you want to be free with your teaching location and schedule? If you say “YES” to all these questions, then look no further! Join our TWSOM music family today!

What do you get from us:
marketing
recruiting new students
managing student fee
receive monthly teaching payment on time
regular network support and mentoring
opportunities to get involved and participate in music events, workshops and social networking activities

Who are we looking for:
You should have these following qualities –
music degree holder or piano diploma holder
a couple years of piano teaching (and performing) experience
compassion and patience towards students especially kids
passionate about teaching, piano and music
determination to work and will to succeed